Poonam Dhillon was Femina Miss India in 1977 before she joined Bollywood
Agencies
MUMBAI: Poonam Dhillon’s daughter Paloma Thakeria Dhillon is all set to make her Bollywood debut.
Paloma,26, has been signed by Rajshri Productions to star opposite Sunny Deol’s son Rajveer Deol in the lead role.
The excited mom went on Instagram, saying, “Congratulations darling Paloma Thakeria Dhillon on your superb launch with the most prestigious Rajshri Films, Sooraj Barjatya Avnish Barjatya. Your amazing hard work, commitment, and talent are rewarded with this beautiful launch. God Bless you with super success and may you shine in all you do. Love you. So proud of you.”
Will Paloma be the next big thing in Bollywood?
She could be, like her gorgeous mom.
Paloma can be called Gujju Sardarni because her mom Poonam Dhillon is a Sikh and her filmmaker dad Ashok Thakeria is Gujarati. Indeed, Paloma’s mom was one of the most gorgeous women at her prime.
She (Poonam) was crowned the Miss Young India at the age of 16. She then went on to win the Femina Miss India in 1977.
Poonam’s beauty was noticed by Yash Chopra and he opened the Bollywood gates for the young Sardarni by offering her a role in his super hit Trishul (1978).
Poonam was a student in Chandigarh back then. She had signed for Trishul just for the fun of doing a film as she had no intention of being a film star. In fact, her intention was to have some fun while doing the film and then go back to Chandigarh to pursue further studies. But destiny had other plans for her.
Impressed by her performance, Yash Chopra gave her the lead role in Noorie (1978) which was again a super-hit and she was was nominated for the Filmfare Award For Best Actress.
Since Poonam was still a student when Noorie was being shot in Jammu and Mumbai, Yash Chopra had to arrange her flights in such a way she could take her exams in the morning and join the shooting in the evening.
As Poonam got foothold in Bollywood, Yash Chopra’s assistant Ramesh Talwar, who was the script writer of Noorie, was the first person she got into a relationship.
There were reports at that time Poonam and Ramesh had got secretly engaged and that Ramesh had bought her a home.
In fact, at an event when Rishi Kapoor, who was seated next to Poonam, was asked by a photographer to get closer to the actress so that he could have their photo together. But Rishi Kapoor had told the photographer, “Don’t be silly, yaar. She is Ramesh Talwar’s exclusive property.”
Poonam ended her relationship with Ramesh Talwar after some nasty reports in the media about herself and Yash Chopra.
Poonam also had a brief affair with Raj Sippy after her break-up with Ramesh Talwar.
Then she was introduced to Ashok Thakeria by producer-director Umesh Mehra and his wife Ritu during a Holi party at their Khandala farmhouse. Poonam had just lost her father and was depressed when she met Ashok who helped her get over her grief and developed feelings for her.
There were reports that Ashok Thakeria used to send her flowers daily till Poonam said `yes’ to marry him. They tied the knot in 1988.
The couple had two children. Poonam became a stay-at-home mom to raise the kids – first their son Anmol and then daughter Paloma.
But their marriage started turning sour as Poonam felt ignored by her busy husband. There used to be fights between the two. Once Poonam reportedly told a friend about her uncaring husband, “I don’t feel connected to him the way I used to earlier and I don’t have him to myself even on a Sunday.’’
As Poonam got alienated from her husband, there were reports of Ashok Thakeria having an affair with another woman. When Poonam confronted him, her suspicion proved to be true.
As if in revenge, Poonam also allegedly got involved with Hong Kong-based businessman Kiku. She would fly to Hong Kong to see him.
Poonam virtually ended her mariage to Ashok when she left his home in October 1997 and moved to live with her sister Rishma Pai who was a doctor in Mumbai.
Poonam Dhillon and Ashok Thakeria finally divorced in 1997.
Poonam has stayed single since then. (Updated: This article appeared here first on October 16, 2017)
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